"Running with the Buffaloes: A Season Inside with Mark Wetmore, Adam Goucher, and the University of Colorado Men's Cross Country Team," by Chris Lear. 2000. 260 pp. Hardcover. $22.95. The Lyons Press.

Skeptic that I am, I was hesitant to begin "Running with the Buffaloes." Just how good could this book be, especially the bit about buffaloes? Even when I discovered that the "buffaloes" were the 1998 University of Colorado men's cross country team, I wasn't too spurred to open it. But when Michigan Runner gave me a deadline for a review, it was time to read. Thank you, MR! "Running with the Buffaloes" proved compelling. It kept me up for much of two nights, turning page after page to reach the conclusion. I will admit to reading the last chapter once I reached the halfway point, but "cheating" like that did not diminish my enjoyment. Chris Lear spent the '98 season with the Buffaloes and their dynamic coach, Mark Wetmore, in Boulder. He shared runs, meals, trips, ideas, joys, even heartbreak and tears with them. Wetmore had a quality team returning. Led by Adam Goucher, a pre-season favorite to win the individual men's title, the Buffaloes were poised to make a run at the NCAA Division I team championship. Lear tells the story of those three months - guided with single-minded purpose by Wetmore - to the championship race in Lawrence, Kansas. He follows the "94 Days to Lawrence" almost day-to-day, going from high-altitude training runs to track workouts to meets. Readers meet the individual team members, some more closely than others. How they meshed, from individual personalities, training, backgrounds, studies, etc., into a formidable team is a fascinating story of group dynamics. Interviews and personal experiences let Lear divulge often the most-minute details of the season. Much of the runners' lives away from cross country remained untold; I wondered if some of them even had classes. Wetmore and Goucher are the headliners. Wetmore's philosophy dominates the reading. It can be encapsulated in a Latin phrase the coach has found, "Res severa verum gaudia:" (To be serious is the greatest joy). Success comes only from extending limits, pushing farther and farther, tempting the running fates - that is, injury. Goucher amazes even his own teammates. His capacity for training - quantity, quality, running through injury - bordered on the incredible. Consecutive 100-mile weeks (all completed with "singles," only one running session a day) and hard workouts became Goucher trademarks and inspiration for his teammates. The unfolding drama as the season progressed to the nationals, was the highlight of the book for me. It was not all smooth going, with egos to assuage, the death of a teammate to overcome, and injuries to deal with. A close second in the highlight category was discovering the detailed workouts and philosophy Wetmore developed for his team and coaching. Early in the book, Lear outlines Wetmore's "plan" for running, developed from the ideas of Arthur Lydiard. Serious runners looking to optimize training and performance should give the "plan" a close look. Lear is a talented writer. The text flows from page to page. Call me a prude, but some of the language (often direct quotes) is not appropriate for younger readers; parents, coaches and librarians should preview the book. The photos are somewhat lackluster. Tighter editing would have eliminated several repeating and annoying grammatical errors: the use of "then" for than, "alright" for all right, "phased" for fazed, among them. Inappropriate language aside, "Running with the Buffaloes" is highly recommended. Do yourself a favor and "review" it, too. Ron Marinucci can be reached at RMarin6424@aol.com. MR